The School of Alchemic Science and Exploration
by Shadowed Freedom
Summary: [ON HOLD] Edward and Alphonse do not meet Mustang on that faithful night. Instead, they go to a school where they hope to learn enough to regain what they've lost. EdxWinry Royai AlxOC
1. Going to School

Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist.

This is slightly AU because, while it happens instead of the actual series, it is still the same characters (mostly) in the same world. The plot will soon become more apparent.

The only couples that I have thus far stuck my heart on are EdxWin, Royai, and AlxOC. I'm open to most any suggestion _as long as the couples are male/female._

Okay, now I shall begin. This is the night of the transmutation's failure. I have changed the ages, so Ed is 15 and Al is 14.

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_Do you ever feel like breaking down?  
Do you ever feel out of place?  
Like somehow you just don't belong,  
And no one understands you.  
_

_ Do you ever wanna run away?  
Do you lock yourself in your room?  
With the radio on turned up so loud,  
That no one hears you screaming._

-Simple Plan, "Welcome to my Life."  
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Screams flew wildly through the shattered silence of the night. They were of pain, sorrow, and confusion. Two boys, altering their destiny and the courses of many lives in a single night. Questions flew in the air like dark messangers of tragedy.

Why?

How?

WHY?

A scream shattered the silence.

"AL!"

…

…

…

The next day, at the Rockbell's, all questions are answered. A failed transmutation that was forbidden in the first place. Edward has lost his left leg and use of his right shoulder, taken in the transmutation. His right arm was limp at his side. Al had no left arm, also stolen from him. However, that was not all Alphonse had lost. That night was all a blur to him, he could not remember some things that had happened leading up to the transmutation or what had occurred during it. Edward looked heart broken, but they stayed up late at night to talk. They didn't know what to do now, and needed an answer.

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"_I want what's ours back."_

"_I agree. But how do we get it, Brother?"_

"_There's only one way we can do it Al…we have to learn more about alchemy. Once we do that…you'll have your memory back as well as your arm."_

"_And you'll get everything back."_

"_Exactly Al; exactly."_

Alphonse thought of this conversation as he went to fetch the mail. He wasn't sure how they would learn much, as they had only so much knowledge themselves. Not to mention Al couldn't remember many things he was sure he used to know.

He opened the mailbox and grabbed the pieces of mail one at a time. Most of it was stuff addressed to Auntie Pinako, one or two pieces to Winry, and a pamphlet. The writing caught his eyes immediately. He had to show this to Ed! He ran inside as best he could and dropped the rest of the mail on the table. "Brother!" Making it up the stairs, he ran to his and Ed's room. "Brother!"

Edward looked up from his book. "Yeah…what is it?"

Alphonse read from the pamphlet. "The School of Alchemic Science and Exploration, or SASE, cordially invites all alchemists to apply for the new year. Our school has only the best standards for rates that are affordable…" Al kept reading into the details, but Ed was focused on the big picture, as usual.

"C'mon!" He interrupted his younger brother and grabbed his crutch. The two went down the stairs and found Pinako and Winry talking in the living room. "Auntie, there's money in the closet at home. I want you to take it as payment for automail. We're going to school."

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This is my first chapter. The others will be far more interesting and a bit easier to follow, but I'm assuming most of you don't need me to go step-by step through the the Elric's journey's beginning. Please review! And thanks to Izumi's Apprentice for reminding me how Ed lost his arm and that she is all powerful. Anyone who likes FFX and is a fan of LuluxWakka ought to read her story. Go now! Read and review!


	2. Monica and Jaila

Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist.

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_If fears what makes us decide  
Our future journey  
I'm not along for the ride  
Cause I'm still learning_  
-Avril Lavigne, "Falling Down."  
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"You must be Edward and Alphonse Elric." The two boys nodded at the secretary. She was pretty with long, blonde hair and red eyes behind sensible glasses. She wore a black shirt over a blue one that showed only its collar, along with black pants and heels. She had a business-like aura, but she didn't seem so bad. "Here are the keys to your dorm room, one for each of you. You have room 54. Here are copies of the rules, your schedules, a receipt for your first month's payment, a letter from the principal, and a few other papers you'll find it useful to read."

Alphonse held back a sigh, knowing he would probably do the reading and have to relay everything to Ed. "Thanks," the brothers said as they took the paperwork. It was a daunting pile, but Edward barely glanced at it.

"I'm Miss Peko, should you need any help. Other students should prove to be of aid as well." The Elrics thanked her and left, talking to each other quietly. As she watched them leave, the secretary heard a door to the left of her desk open. A man walked out with black hair and dark eyes. He closed the door and turned to look at her.

"Well, things seem to be going well. Think you can handle this assignment, Hawkeye?" The disguised lieutenant did not bless him with a glance and began to study a paper on her desk.

"Yes sir." She said. Really, if she could handle him and the others at Eastern HQ, a bunch of kids was no problem.

"And you'll keep our little experiment safe?"

"Yes sir," was the calm reply. It would have been a shock to hear anything different from her. As he turned to leave, her voice interrupted him again. "Colonel..."

"Yes Hawkeye?"

"…It's nothing sir." She would not question his orders, but she didn't feel right. This was risky and dangerous…not a smart idea. Having the military spying around certainly didn't help.

Roy Mustang looked at her a moment longer, trying to figure out if she would say more. When she didn't, he turned and left the room, leaving the door open.

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"Brother, why can't you just ask for help?"

"This school is crazy! Room 55 is beside 67 and 432! They can't count!"

"Brother!" Why was Ed like this? He wouldn't stop and ask anyone for help, even though he had gotten Al and himself helplessly lost. Alphonse had had enough of this, and took matters into his own hands. He spotted a girl walking past them and called out to her.

"Uh…miss; do you know where room 54 is? I and my brother are a bit lost." The girl looked back, cocking her head. She had medium-length red hair that she had braided quickly. Her skin was tanned ever so lightly from days in the sun. Her pants also suggested that she spent a lot of time outdoors from the hole in the right knee, revealing a bandage. Her hazel eyes looked them over calmly before she smiled. "Yeah, I could help you find it. You guys just starting this year?"

"Yeah, so what?" Edward noticed only one thing about this stranger…she was about a head taller than he was.

"Sorry, didn't mean anything by it. C'mon, follow me now, duckies." Edward raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'duckies,' but said nothing. They followed her to a stairwell. "I'm Monica; it's my second year here. I'm in the Intermediate class."

"Intermediate class?"

Monica smiled. "Yeah, there are three classes here. For the most part, first-years are in Beginner classes, second-years and in Intermediate classes, and third-years are in Advanced classes. Of course, rarely a first-year will have exceptional skill and be put in a higher class, but that's pretty much once in a lifetime. More commonly, people are held back a year for not doing well enough. The standards are high...higher than normal ones anyways. God, with my huge explanation, I never asked your names!" She turned a sharp left down a hallways lined with doors. The interior was fancy for a school, but not too flashy.

"I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my older brother Edward." Monica raised her eyebrow when Al said Ed was the eldest, but did not tempt **The Wrath of Shrimp**.

"Well, the Elrics, huh?"

Edward beamed. "So you've heard of us!"

"Not until now. I was just thinking of how weird it must be to have the initials EE." Alphonse grinned wickedly.

"EE stand for 'Eats Everything.'"

"AL!" Edward shrieked; appalled at the mockery his own brother made of him. Monica beamed with laughter.

"Here you are, room 54." Edward stepped forward and opened the room. Inside was a bunk bed pushed against the right wall. A desk was on the other side of the room, completely bare. There was a chest of drawers on the left wall for storage, with a mirror over it. Near the desk was a window that showed the courtyard. Other than that, the room was quite small. "Eat your hearts out," she told them sarcastically.

Ed and Al pushed their stuff inside. "Hey, wanna' take the grand tour? My niece is coming today…well one of them. I'll show all three of you around."

"That'd be great," Alphonse said quickly before his older brother could refuse. The girl nodded and checked her wrist…before realizing she wasn't wearing a watch. She simply stared at her bare wrist for a second, as if willing a watch to appear. When it didn't, she reached into her pocket and grabbed one out.

"I knew I forgot something this morning," she muttered. It was a black watch with golden hands and the flamel on the face. "Okay, I'll meet you at about 3:00, that's in about an hour, out by the entrance. They'll have a welcoming dinner at about 5:45 or so, giving us plenty of time." The brothers (when I say brothers, I mean Al for the both of them) thanked the girl and went to unpacking their things.

----------

Monica immediately left the Elrics and went to the back of the school. There, watching the sky dreamily, was a younger girl. She was very scrawny and seemed quiet. She had flyaway black hair, long and unrestrained. Her cobalt eyes did not look directly at things, but saw them for the truth. She had on a black shirt with a silver symbol showing a serpent that ate its own tail with a cross behind it. She also wore black pants with a silver chain hanging from the pocket, not unlike the chain of a state alchemist. Her skin was very pale, and everything about her seemed to be shy.

"Jaila! Jai! Hey!" Monica finally got the girl's attention. Her face lit up happily.

"Aunt Moni!" She cried happily, flinging her arms around the older girl and hugging her. Monica hugged her back, ignoring the oddities surrounding her niece. First to fall into question had to be the small ears sprouting from her head, as black as night. Then there was the black tail that moved to and fro in a steady rhythm. These were not normal, but Monica did not question them.

Ears and a tail were normal for a humanoid chimera made from a young girl and a cat.

"He's not here, is he?" Jaila asks, looking around. Her eyes begin to dart feverishly and her body shakes subtly. She looks like a rabbit cornered by baying hounds.

Monica smoothes Jaila's hair comfortingly, much like a mother would her daughter. "No, no. He's not here, I promise." The girl smiles and pushes away gently, walking off. Jaila follows eagerly, as a puppy follows its mother. "I've found a couple of boys I think you ought to meet. I know this school will be hard on you, but I trust them." Monica was a good judge of character and it was unusual for her not to trust the older girl, but she is still hesitant in her mind. She didn't trust strangers, but the trust for Monica prevailed.

"At least your dad pulled for you to come here, huh? You got lucky. Plus his superior pulling those strings. All for a bunch of complicated papers! Not to mention you get to bunk with me! Besides, I have a surprise for you. I snuck Neko in the other day!"

"Neko? Really?" Her face lit up. Neko was Jaila's kitten, and her best friend. Her fur was fluffy black with fawn patches and her eyes a glimmering jade.

"Yep!"

The two talked quietly at the front entrance, watching others arrive. Many gave them a wide berth when they glanced at Jaila. The chimera apologized, but Monica ignored it, saying what dicks they all were.

"Hey, Monica!" She turned around and waved. "Ed, Al, hey! Over here!" The two boys ran to meet her, but then stopped short, staring at Jaila. Had they been normal people, they might have judged her right there as a monster, but they had seen monsters. "So, this is your niece?"

Monica nodded. "Yep, you got that right. This is Jaila Fuery, my niece. Jai, this is Edward and Alphonse Elric. They're just starting too, only I think they look a little less intimidated by it all!" Said by anyone else it would have been offensive, but it seemed only a fact.

"I'M the OLDER brother!" Edward said straight off, golden eyes daring anyone to dispute it. None did.

"Well, come on then, let's start the tour." Monica turned to the building, but did not move forward. "This is the start of the rest of your lives. Enjoy it."

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Bet it doesn't take a genius to figure out Jaila's father. Some of you may find it odd, but it'll make sense later, promise. Thanks to all who reviewed this story, I'm happy about the positive feedback.


	3. Monster of a Secret

Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist.

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_Who has to know  
The way she feels inside  
Those thoughts I can't deny  
These sleeping dogs won't lie_  
-All American Rejects, "Dirty Little Secret."  
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The first day of school was tomorrow, and all over SASE students were preparing. All of them, except a choice few. One of the most surprising of those few was a young boy named Alphonse Elric, who had other things on his mind.

Edward was still asleep, leaving the younger Elric with no choice but to either wake his brother up, or leave. It did not take long to choose. It was late in the morning, but Alphonse already had something he wanted-almost needed-to do. The window blinds let only the palest shade of sunlight warm the room. Fall and winter were coming soon, and Al thought briefly that he would need to get warmer clothes. He had brought a bare minimum, as had Ed, and only a single sweater. However, that thought was pushed away as he slowly, quietly, opened the door and closed it.

He walked slowly and carefully through the building. Jaila and Monica shared room 13, not very far from his and Ed's. The hall had only a shadow of the traffic of yesterday, but Al took notice of little of it. He made a right turn, and found this hallway far more barren. Most of these rooms belonged to girls, who were either gossiping in their rooms or sleeping. The youngest Elric was glancing for the right door and finally found the gleaming numbers he had searched for. Tentatively, he knocked. It was truly a quiet sound, but it seemed a deafening crash to him.

The door opened and Monica appeared. "Hey Al, what's up?" She must have showered only a little while ago, because her hair was wet and curled slightly as it fell down her back. She was putting it up in a ponytail while awaiting his explanation.

"Well, uh, I wanted to talk to you. Is Jaila around?" Monica smiled and ushered him inside, closing the door. In many cases, this would have caused vicious rumors to circulate, but Monica didn't have many enemies. She was a person most people liked, and that had its advantages.

"Jaila left a little while ago, but she'll be back. What did you need?" It never occurred to the young boy that Monica already had an idea of what he wanted to speak of. Why else had she pulled him in?

"Well, it's about her, you see. I mean…you know!"

Monica nodded and sat down. For the first time since he'd met her, Alphonse saw a somber look on Monica's face. "Jaila…well you know what a chimera is, right?" Al nodded. "Well, Jaila is a combination of a human and a cat. Both animals are similar enough that it worked and created a talking chimera that was more human than animal. Her ears and tail, as well as heightened senses, come from that contorted experiment."

Al's eyes widened in horror. "Who-"

"The Sewing-Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker…my brother." Seeing Al's horror, she shook her head. "No, that doesn't make her Shou's daughter. My older sister, who was adopted into the family, gave birth to her. She was too young to handle a baby, so she surrendered her to Shou. Unfortunately, that was around the time he began his research. Jaila was too human and he would be arrested if anyone found out. Regrettably, her mother discovered her daughter and was horrified. Shou made her take Jaila back and tell no one. Three days later, she committed suicide, saying that she could not stand to be related to a monster. Therefore, we looked up her real family and found one of Jaila's uncles, Kain Fuery, and he took her in. She learned alchemy from some state alchemists on the sly, and came to this school. By blood, we're not even relatives. It's pretty confusing.

"She's just lucky no one's taken her to the state for testing. The thing is, doing so would cause such a stir that protests would arise, and other stuff like that." Monica shrugged her shoulders. "Just, don't ask her about it. It's bad enough the halls can't stop talking about her."

Al shook his head. "Sorry, I just…"

A hand fell on his shoulder in comfort. "Hey, don't worry. You've got a good heart Al." Her smile was back, and he felt reassured. He might have stayed like that a second longer, had a knock not come to the door. "Central Station," she muttered with a grin. "I must be popular."

As she opened the door, her face took on a frustrated look. "What do you want now?" Al couldn't get a good look at the newcomer, but it apparently wasn't the best of company.

A 'tut tut' sound come from the other side, it was definitely male, he'd figured, and this annoyed her more. "C'mon Mo, can't you lighten up? I didn't mean to push you into the fountain…it kind of just happened. You'd be surprised how strong the wind is up here in Central compared to down south."

"Too bad the men got weaker."

"Touché."

"Screw you."

"Please."

"Never." She shut the door in his face. "Annoying dick," she growled.

Alphonse cocked his head. "Who was that?"

"Don't ask. Where's Ed anyways?" Al told her scornfully that his brother was snoozing. "Huh…lucky duck. Hey, Al, want to do me a solid? I'm going to play a quick game with some old friends, but I want to see Jai sometime today as well. Maybe you could go grab her. You'll find her not too far from here. 56 Ancolage St. is the address. It's a small house, nothing fancy. She's either there or will be soon. Could you help me out?" Now that Al thought about it, he wondered what sport she played. She was decked in shorts and a t-shirt, so it made sense she would be doing something. He questioned what sport and she reached under her bed to reveal a ball of ebony and ivory.

"The world's greatest pastime." She said with a glimmer in her eyes. That glimmer was extinguished for a second, however, and concern filled the pools. "Alphonse, please, keep this between us. Our secret? You can tell Ed, but only somewhere where no one else can here. Promise?" Al nodded.

"I promise."

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Ancolage St. was a small side road that was the only spot in Central that could accurately be called the middle of nowhere. Only a few houses stood along it, a couple with 'for sale' signs. He found one with number 56, but it seemed abandoned, as he couldn't see any light. Wait, yes he could. On of the windows showed a flickering glimmer. The young boy looked around warily, and then walked up to the door, knocking warily.

At first there seemed to be silence, then footsteps. Finally, the door opened. Jaila stood in the doorway, apparently still in her pajamas. Her purple tank top was wet with something and her flannel pants seemed ripped. The inside of the house, from what Al could see, was clean, although very plain. "Alphonse?" She asked, confusion etched in her features.

"Uhm, Monica told me where you'd be, and she wants to talk with you."

"But, she has spoken to you already." It wasn't a question, but not quite an assumption. It seemed like a commonly stated fact that everyone knew. Alphonse raised an eyebrow, but Jaila smiled. It was not one of her shy ones that seemed to hold back. This one revealed happiness and excitement not unlike a child at Christmas. The burden was no longer secret. There was someone she did not have to hide something from. "Come in Al," she said, "There's something I want to show you."

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Okay, another chapter's done! R&R please! Also, since I probably won't post anymore chapters until after turkey day, Happy Thanksgiving! Gorge yourselves, my ducks!


End file.
